 So it is now time for questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thanks very much. Thanks very much, Speaker. My first question is for the Premier. Last week, the Premier announced a plan to vaccinate people who were aged 18-plus in hotspot neighbourhoods. In fact, he said, and I quote, we have mobile units as we speak going out there right now to get people vaccinated. Speaker, why did the Premier tell thousands of Ontarians that they could get vaccinated right now when he knew that there was no plan at all to do so? To apply, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you very much, Speaker. Well, in fact, there is a plan to vaccinate people over 18 in hotspot areas. They can't be booked through the online booking tool, but they can be booked through the public health units, and they can be booked through some of the units that are starting up. For example, there is one in a hotspot area at BAPS Charities on Highway 427 using their own booking tool. Yesterday, within the first hour, they booked 4,500 appointments with people of all ages. So, yes, in fact, people 18 years of age and older can be done in a number of these clinics, in a number of these pop-up units, and in a number of the mobile testing areas. Last speaker, back to the Premier. Health units had no idea that this was coming. They were put in a scramble with no extra resources and no vaccines. In fact, Maureen Adams, in the chair of Scarborough Health Network Board, said this. Scarborough continues to struggle with the incomprehensible disparity in vaccine distribution for Canada's most diverse community, and one of Ontario's most severe hotspots in some areas, 24% positivity rate. So, why did the Premier tell Ontarians 18 years, 18 age and up, that they could actually get vaccines when they really had no plan, and in fact, folks couldn't get the vaccines, as the Premier promised? Thank you. Well, there is a plan to make sure that every Ontarian who wants to receive a vaccine can get one. The public health units are very well aware of the plan. They are implementing it in their own ways, because there are different ways. They're used to their own circumstances. They know their own geography. They know where people are. They know whether mass vaccination clinics are going to work best, or whether it should be done in pharmacies, or whether it should be done through working with the public, the other units that are available to them. But what I can say with respect to Scarborough is the problem there right now is lack of vaccines. We have had problems with all of the vaccines in the most recent time, including three delays in the arrival of the Moderna vaccine, which is scheduled to arrive today, but we have to wait to see if it actually arrives. So, we have been moving the vaccines around to make sure that places can stay open. But in the case of Scarborough, it's the lack of supply. I know the federal government is doing whatever they can to get the supplies to us, but we are reliant on the federal government to send them to us. And if we don't have the vaccines, we have to close the clinics temporarily. But it is only temporary until we get the vaccines. Yesterday, the Premier actually mocked Ontarians by saying it was very simple to get a vaccination booked. The reaction from one hotspot recipient is this, Speaker, and I quote, if Doug Ford wants people 18 to 49 to stop complaining that booking a vaccine is going to... I'm going to interrupt the member and remind her that she has to refer to the Premier by the title of the Premier. I'll read the quote with the removal of the Premier's actual name. If the Premier wants people 18 to 49 to stop complaining that booking a vaccine is confusing, he could stop lying about the availability of appointments and... I'm going to ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw. So, the re-reader of the question is this. When is this Premier going to stop insulting Ontarians? When is he going to stop blaming Ontarians for his failure and actually do the work necessary to protect them from this third wave of COVID-19? Thank you very much, Speaker. And I would say to the Leader of the Official Opposition, through you, Mr Speaker, that that is absolutely not the case. The Premier has been taking every step possible to preserve the health and safety of every single Ontarian. That has been our goal throughout. That is behind every step that we've been taken. We want to make sure that everyone who wants to receive a vaccine can get one. That's why we're offering them in so many locations in the mass vaccination clinics, in pharmacies, in primary care facilities, in specialty clinics, pop-up clinics, mobile clinics. There's a variety of ways that people can access them. Everyone from those who are 18 years of age and up in hotspots, and people who are at the appropriate ages for appropriate vaccines that are currently available. So that's what the Premier is working on. That's what I'm working on. That's what we're working on on this side. Please join us and help out instead of complaining. The next question, once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you so much. My next question is also for the Premier. There really is no effective plan to vaccinate essential workers who don't have the choice to stay home and keep themselves safe. In fact, yesterday, this government actually passed the buck to employers, asking them to organize, pay for, and operate clinics in workplaces. Speaker, what happens to those workers whose employers can't or won't pay for and operate an on-site clinic? Are they just out of luck? Well, there is a plan to deal with that. For example, let me use the example of the BAPS charities in Etobicoke that are opening a clinic to be able to vaccinate people 18 years of age or older workers. One of the requirements for opening one of these clinics is to be able to vaccinate not just your workers or, in this case, your congregants, but to be able to supply vaccines to people in the surrounding areas. As it happens, this is a temple that is an industrial area in Etobicoke, and they are inviting workers from all of the surrounding areas to be able to come in on their lunch hours whenever they're able to do so. They've already booked over 4,500 applicants in the first hour of operation. I have no doubt they're going to be very successful. They estimate that they will be able to vaccinate over 30,000 people within about a two-week period. So that is significant, Speaker. That is reaching people in those areas. Supplementary question. Speaker, I think everybody realizes that essential frontline workers who are going to work each and every day are right now the most vulnerable to this virus, to the variance of concern in the third wave. They can't afford to spend hours and hours and hours trying to find the needle in a haystack that is their booking. They don't have time, and they can't afford, Speaker. They can't afford to stand in line for hours and hours waiting for their appointment at a pop-up clinic. So my question is to this Premier, why is he refusing to provide workers in this province, those frontline heroes with paid time off to get their vaccination? It is a barrier, and it will be removed if the Premier does the right thing here. Why won't he? Labor training on skills development. Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to say that across this province, employers and workers are working together every single day to ensure that as many people can get vaccinated as quickly as possible. But, Mr. Speaker, let me remind the member opposite that we were the first jurisdiction in the country to pass job-protected leave. If any workers in self-isolation in quarantine, if your mom or dad who has to stay home and look after a son or a daughter because of the disruptions in the school system, you can't be fired for that. Mr. Speaker, furthermore, we've eliminated the need for sick notes during COVID-19. But I'm also extremely proud to say that we were the first jurisdiction to pass job-protected leave so any worker can go and get his or her vaccination. We'll continue to stand with every worker of this province so we get through COVID-19. And the final supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. You know, it really is frightening how out of touch this government is that they don't understand what vulnerable workers face in terms of an ability to pay the bills and how much they rely on every single hour of wage that they toil for every single day. They just don't get it. So we have a premier that walked us right into this third wave with his eyes wide open. He then had no plan to vaccinate these frontline essential workers. He refuses to give them paid time off to get their vaccine and certainly paid sick days are not on the agenda. My question is, when is this premier going to stop insulting Ontarians? When is he going to stop pretending that he had a plan in place to get them vaccinated? And when will he do the work necessary to protect those frontline essential workers? You are the most vulnerable in our province. Thank you very much, Speaker. Well, there is a plan in place and it is working because we have already provided over 3.4 million vaccines to people who somehow have been able to find their way through the system and to create appointments. We already have 2.4 million appointments booked to receive doses of which 59,548 were booked yesterday. So yesterday we also set a record for the number of daily vaccines administered 112,647. So clearly something is working. People are finding their way. They are going to the pharmacies. We've doubled the number of pharmacies. We have the mass vaccination clinics. Many people are now going to primary care providers because they feel more comfortable if they have pre-existing conditions to be able to do that. There is a way for people to make sure that they can get their vaccination. They don't have to wait in line for hours. They don't have to wait hours on the phone. It's quick. It's easy to do and we recommend everybody. Thank you. The next question, a member for Essex. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, the question is to the Premier. There are more and more disturbing questions about how this government has selected its vaccine hotspot regions and why some of those regions that are represented by government members have been labeled hotspot regions despite the government's own data and its own evidence to the contrary. Speaker, no one should be playing politics with getting Ontarians vaccines. This is not a case of the government. Because if it were just simply a massive oversight, they could make it right today. They could change the areas in which they distribute and identify vaccine hotspots. That's why we've written to the auditor general to look into this because the data does not lie. Speaker, will the Premier come clean and tell us why his government has placed some of the areas worst hit areas of COVID in our province so far down on the vaccination list? Unbelievable. Unbelievable that you should make any sort of suggestion what we're dealing with the life and death of people across this province that there was some political interference in it. In fact, if anything is the case, it's exactly the opposite. So let me tell you. I'll tell you about Canada if you want to know about Canada. Based on public health Ontario analysis, K2V in Canada was identified as being in the top three death files, top fifth for COVID-19 based on COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality through mid-January 2021. The postal code was also high in factors associated with greater vulnerability and negative impacts of COVID-19, specifically sociodemic barriers, which resulted in it being prioritized in a hotspot community. More to say in my supplementary speaker. Thank you. Is that there are people in Windsor and in Hamilton right now who are in desperate need of a vaccine and no one can explain why they were left out. It is clear Ontarians need transparency about how these decisions were made, not more backroom muddling with urgent public health matters directly in front of a speaker. My question to the premier again, will this government fully cooperate with any review? The auditor general may determine is necessary and do one better and reveal exactly why this hotspot vaccine distribution system has rolled out so poorly. Well, clearly there is a need for more education on this issue on the other side of this house to understand exactly what's happened. I've just explained about the K2V designation. I can also advise you that the hotspots were informed by the science advisory table using public health Ontario data. Their advice was accepted by the vaccine task force, which is comprised of many people who are outside of government. These are people who are specifically knowledgeable in this issue who then accepted the advice of the science advisory table and then directed the both this list or generals office and the ministry of health to then implement that plan. That's how it was decided and that's what we are relying upon is the advice of the health science advisory table and the medical experts here. As we respond more vaccines and more hotspots are identified by the science advisory table and the medical experts, we will be able to expand. But right now we're short on supply. We need to receive more support. Thank you. Thank you. The next question. The member for Perry Sound. Let's go back. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is did the opposition come to order? Minister of Health come to order. Member for Essex come to order. The member for Flamborough, Glenbrook come to order. If this continues, I'll start warning. The next question, the member for Perry Sound, Muskoka. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health. Just over two weeks ago, the minister stood in this house and told the house that we've reached a milestone in administering over 2 million vaccines less than three weeks later, and our province has surpassed another milestone by administering over 3.3 million doses to Ontarians across the province. I know that the minister and everyone in government continues to work day and night to ensure more and more Ontarians can receive these life-saving vaccines. Would the minister please tell the members of this house how our government plans to ensure vaccines are going to those most at risk in hotspots across the province? The Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member from Perry Sound, Muskoka for the question and for the great work that you're doing with your constituents. Since day one, Speaker, our government has been committed to vaccinating Ontarians as quickly and safely as possible. We also know that COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted certain neighborhoods and communities across the province, and we understand that administering vaccines to people who live in these areas is critical to reducing the impact of COVID-19 as quickly as possible. That is why as part of the second phase of our vaccine rollout, we have identified 114 highly impacted neighborhoods by postal code, which will be reached through mass immunization clinics, mobile teams, and pop-up clinics. Through a collaborative effort with our vaccination partners, we will be administering vaccines in high-risk congregate settings, residential buildings, faith-based locations, and locations occupied by large employers in hotspot neighborhoods. Mr. Speaker, our government will continue to protect the most vulnerable in Aboriginal communities across our province. This supplementary question. Thank you, Minister, and thank you to all those in the front lines for helping us administer vaccines. Mr. Speaker, it's reassuring to hear the Minister talk about our plan to ensure these areas that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 are going to be receiving the vaccines they need. I'm confident Ontarians can rest assured that we are well on our way to getting a vaccine into the arm of anyone that wants one. I know a number of factors were considered when determining what postal codes would be included within the 14 public health units that have hotspot neighborhoods. Would the Minister please tell us how these hotspot neighborhoods were determined? Again, the Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you to the member I'd be happy to. Let me be clear, hotspots have been identified based on historic and ongoing rates of COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations, and transmissions. These communities were identified based not only on high rates of COVID-19, but also outbreak data, research and analysis conducted by Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table, low testing rates, and sociodemographic barriers that may result in vaccine hesitancy. Also, many of these areas, particularly in Toronto, have a high proportion of the population living in congregate settings, such as long-term care homes, condominium buildings, supportive housing, and homeless shelters, and as a result are at higher risk of transmission and outbreaks. Mr. Speaker, we are determined to have the most effective and equitable vaccine campaign in the country. The next question, a member for Scarborough Southwest. Speaker, at around 10.30 p.m. last night, Scarborough Health Network had to make the heartbreaking decision to contact residents across Scarborough to cancel approximately 10,000 vaccine appointments between today and Monday due to vaccine shortages. Mr. Speaker, I would really like to get my question across because 10,000 people just found out they're not getting their vaccines and I want the Minister of Education to listen and I want all of the government members to listen. I'm outraged. It's outraging what you guys are doing. Mr. Speaker, I have stood in this house for months now, months and months addressing the issue of vaccination for Scarborough, like a broken record. I honestly feel like a broken record and frankly begging for an equitable distribution of vaccines, not just for Scarborough Southwest, but for all of Scarborough, only to get baseless, empty promises. The cumulative did results of all the failures. It's what's the result is what we're seeing right now with Scarborough Health Network having to close two of their biggest vaccine operations at Centenary Hospital and at Centennial College because this government failed to provide our community with the minimum amount of vaccines necessary. Mr. Speaker, where are the 1.2 million unused vaccine dosages and when will the government take our communities please seriously? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly have been listening to the requests that you have been providing and I have continued to reassure you that the vaccine doses are allocated based on population and based on risk. Based on the population, they've been developed equitably across the province. Based on risk, as the member will know, you have a number of hotspot neighbourhoods in Scarborough and extra doses have been allocated. However, the issue here is of supply and that is something that is beyond our control. That is in the control of the federal government and while we know the federal government is making every effort that they can right now to get supplies to us, as the member will know a number of those vaccine shipments have been either reduced significantly or missed in the last several months while we now have an ample supply of Pfizer coming in. That wasn't the case during the middle of February. We also know that we received a shipment of Moderna the week of March 22nd, it was only 30% of what was originally expected and we were told by the federal government that we would receive. The remaining 70% of our allocation 225,600 doses was further delayed and delivered to Ontario over the Easter weekend. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. The supplementary question. If the government was actually doing an equitable distribution, then why is it that the according to the ICS data which shows the province has vaccinated fewer people in hotspots than in non-hotspots? If you are receiving a small amount of and I'm not taking away blame from the federal government, I understand that both governments have responsibility, but if the federal government was giving a short amount, you should have prioritized hotspots like Scarborough. Why aren't you giving us more vaccines? Last week, government announced that the launch of mobile clinics without giving any notice to public health units, the community health clinics, health networks across Scarborough, across the province or any information about rollouts, registration or any details. Time and time again, this government expects local health networks to clean up their mess. Mr. Speaker, Scarborough has upwards of 24% positivity rates and they're transferring patients to hospitals across the province and our ICUs are full. This week, a couple in their 40s were transferred to another ICU while their five-year-old child needed to be admitted because there was no one else to look after them. Thank you. Every person in Ontario is important wherever they live and Scarborough is of course included in that. However, to suggest that the public health units did not know about the pop-up units and the other methods of receiving the vaccines, they were unaware of that, is simply not the case. We have conversations three times a week with the directors of public hospitals and with the public health units, medical officers of health, they are very well aware of what is in the plan and what they're going to be doing in their own area. In fact, in some areas, they have identified their own hotspots, which they're entitled to do, because they can use their own allocation. But also any suggestion that we are not allowing them or giving them the information about when we're not receiving the full amount, is not the case. Often we don't know ourselves until the day that we're supposed to be receiving them. Then we're told that we're not going to receive them. Under the circumstances, we are rolling out the vaccines well. We've got over 3.4 million doses in people's arms and with the latter part of your question about people having to be transferred, that is to preserve the capacity in our intensive care units to make sure that any Ontarian that needs to be admitted to hospital into intensive care. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Scarborough Gisler. My question is to the Premier. We know that every person in the province is important. The science table has told us, however, that not every person shares the same risk of this virus. The science table has told us that by postal code, we need to manage the distribution of vaccines because some people are at more risk. The people of Scarborough have been at the front line of this pandemic for over a year in terms of positivity rates, hospitalization and death. And we must act. We must act. The fact that your government, the Premier announces that people in hotspots over 18 can go and get a vaccine one week. And then today, the two leading clinics in Scarborough that have been smoothly administering vaccines to people over 50 has been forced to close and to cancel 10,000 appointments. So my question to this government, why is the Premier announcing expanded programs with no planning behind them? And why are you leaving the... Thank you. And I'll remind members to make their comments through the Chair to reply. Again, the Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. Well, I can share the member opposite that no one is being left behind. No one in Scarborough is being left behind. No one in any other part of Ontario is being left behind. The issue is one of supply, that the supplies are not coming in on the dates that we expect to receive them. That is through the federal government that that happens. And we know they're working very hard on this. We know they are. But the reality is that sometimes we don't receive the supplies that we need. And that is why in this particular case, this community clinic is required to close a very short period of time. We did receive the Pfizer vaccine several days ago, but it is now being distributed across the units. This will be a very short term issue. But the supplies are being allocated equitably to all of those areas, including the number of hotspot areas that exist in Scarborough. We have been working with community partners since the very beginning, working with community health centres, working with groups that have social activities under regular circumstances. We want to make sure that people can go to places where they feel comfortable, where vaccine hesitancy can be dealt with and that people can get as many needles into as many arms as possible as quickly as possible. Thank you. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. Back to you, the Minister. You know, I believe that the people of this province are concerned about the decisions that your government is making. As I said, one week you're opening up mobile clinics to people over 18 in hotspots. The next minute, the clinics vaccinating those most at risk over 50 have been forced to close. One minute, you're telling schools that they can continue to do in-person learning. The next day, you're shutting them down. And it's confusing for people. And it shows an incompetence of this government. And we give you ideas. I have asked this government to make vaccine leave, paid leave for people who are essential workers, like the people in Scarborough, a part of the plan so that they can safely get their vaccine. And there's been no action. There's been no action on the advice that's going to save lives. So when are you going to start planning proactively so that the people of Scarborough aren't put at further risk? Again, I'll ask members to make their comments through the Chair. Minister of Health. Thank you very much, Speaker. Well, we have been planning since the beginning of this pandemic. We have planned to expand capacity. We have created over 3,100 more beds and increased our intensive care capacity by 14%. We've also built up a testing system so that we can now test over 60,000 people a day, which we are doing on a regular basis. We have already administered 3.4 million vaccines with more to come in a variety of units. We've just doubled the number of pharmacies across Ontario where people can receive the vaccines. There is a plan. But as a member will know, COVID is moving very quickly, especially with these variants. And so we have to respond to that, and we are responding to that. We have regular modeling that comes to us from the science advisory table that helps us with the decisions that we need to make going forward. We are listening to the concerns that have been expressed by other members. In fact, several members suggested that we have pop-up clinics that move into apartment buildings with frail elderly seniors and others. We are doing that. We are going to where people are to make sure that we can reach everyone who wants to receive a vaccine. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Children's and Women's Issues. Speaker, the measure is taken to protect Ontarians from the virus of confined families to their homes for extended periods of time. The risk of domestic violence is something many girls and women live with every day. Even in normal circumstances, it can be difficult for people to know what resources are available to them and to reach out for support. This is even more difficult with less interactions with colleagues, friends and family members. Every person deserves to be safe in their home and feel safe no matter where they go. And if they do not feel safe, they need to know where they can go for help. Can the Minister please explain how the government is providing shelters the resources they require to help those in need? The Associate Minister for Children and Women's Issues. Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member from the Skolka Parry Sound, my hard-working neighbour for the North. Our Minister of Finance said in his budget that in order to have a healthy economy, we need healthy people. And I couldn't agree more. And I would add that we cannot have healthy people or a healthy economy without keeping them safe. Our government and our Premier takes the issue of domestic violence very seriously and we have zero tolerance for anyone who commits these acts. Violence against women is a threat and burden and its removal should be a priority for every Ontarian and every person in this house. Speaker, I am proud to say that our government has been making investments since the very beginning of the pandemic to support our heroes on the front lines who are helping those fleeing violence in such turbulent times. Shelters have remained open throughout the pandemic. We have provided $70 million in funding to ensure proper infection and prevention control in residential settings to keep everyone safe. And Speaker, we also have a public campaign to inform those who are fleeing violence that they are not alone and have a place to go. Supplementary question. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the Minister for that response. Speaker, I'm happy to hear shelters have continued to be a constant in our communities across Ontario during these difficult times and that our government is prioritizing the safety and well-being of those fleeing domestic violence. With more women accessing services, I want to know how our government is adequately supporting the shelter system. In order to provide women and children the sport, they require we must make sure the tools are available both in urban areas and in rural and remote areas like my riding at Perry Sound Muskoka. Shelter staff are frontline heroes serving vulnerable members in our communities during the pandemic. To keep shelter staff and residents protected from COVID-19, shelters have had additional expenses in order to provide adequate supports. Can the Minister please share what additional supports there are for women fleeing violence and what others can do if they think someone is in danger? Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you again to the member for that question. Speaker, our government is taking action to make sure those who are not safe at home have somewhere safe to go. We recognize the increased demands on shelters throughout the pandemic. That is why through the work of our Attorney General Doug Downey we provided an emergency payment of $2.7 million last year to help ensure that over 50 community agencies remain accessible for women and children who are fleeing violence. We also invested $3.6 million specifically for rural and remote supports so women can get the help they need right in their communities. That allows women access to support without having to drive or fly long distances to get the help they need. And Speaker, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our incredible shelter workers for their tireless efforts to support women and children in our province. These workers have shown resiliency by adapting their work as safety measures continue to change. These workers have shown true Ontario spirit this past year and their work does not go unnoticed. Thank you. The next question, the member for subject. Thank you very much Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, the Minister of Colleges and University said he knew about Laurentian's financial problems for more than six months before the CCA process began. However, because the minister stood by and did nothing to protect Laurentian University for massive cuts, on Monday, more than 70 French and English programs at Laurentian campus were cut and over 100 employees lost their jobs. Speaker, this minister has failed. He did nothing to protect Francophone and Indigenous students at University de Sabarie. He did nothing to protect nursing, psychology and social work students from 100th University. He did nothing to protect arts, theater and women's studies students from Thornlow University. He did nothing to protect Laurentian. If he's not willing to do anything, then he shouldn't be the minister full stop. My question to you, Speaker. Will the Premier do the right thing and remove him? To apply on behalf of the government, member for Northumberland, Peterborough South and Parliamentary System. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the member for that question. We understand the very personal and difficult situation that many students, faculty and staff are in right now. Let me be clear, Mr. Speaker, that the courses of 90 percent of students at Laurentian have not been affected. For the 10 percent who have, we are ensuring that they have a pathway to graduation. Mr. Speaker, with 45 publicly assisted post-secondary institutions in Ontario, we know that COVID has placed unique challenges on all of them. That's why the minister and I have had a number of consultation sessions with all of them over the course of the last year and a half. We've made investments of over 126 million for additional financial supports to support with COVID challenges. 466 million to address critical capital upgrades and repairs. Doubled mental health funding to support students. What's the one thing in common on all of those measures is that that member voted against every single one of them. The supplementary question, member for Muskegawak James speaking. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is also to the Premier. Last week, the Minister of Colleges and Universities indicated that the situation at Laurentian would not affect students. It was on March 10th when the minister said that students will not be affected by what's happening at Laurentian. And recently, he said that he's working for students so that they can continue their studies without interruption. Clearly, he's not able to put his money where his mouth is. We've talked about Madame Boulage-Rose from Hearst, who is studying in the midwife program. It's one of 69 programs that have been cut, and it's the only program of this type offered in French in Canada. The minister, will he tell Madame Boulage that her career is worth something, and will he resign? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, let me be clear. The courses of 90% of students have not been affected, and for the 10% of those who have been affected, we will ensure them a pathway to graduation. But, Mr. Speaker, let me talk about the financial situation that that member and the other member mentioned that was recently brought to our government's attention. Those members wrote identifying 15 million needed in supports. Mr. Speaker, widely shared media reports have shown over 300 million dollars in liability concerns with that university. Something of this magnitude requires thorough and independent analysis. That's why we appointed Dr. Allen Harrison to address this. We respect the independent legal proceedings. We respect the independent analysis so deeply needed in this situation. And when the minister said we'll explore greater financial transparency among universities, I hope that those two members and this party across will support us in those measures. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the minister of education and I'll let him get to his seat so he can hear it. Mr. Speaker, the need for investment in education has never been so obvious as during the pandemic. Instead, the government has decided to cut nearly 790 million from education. Sure, the announcement today for school infrastructure is good news, but it doesn't reverse the damage done to our school and funding is still deficient. Teachers are already being laid off for the next school year, including French teachers that are urgently needed to address the ever-present shortage. This means that class sizes are going to be larger, resources will be further spread thin, and students' needs and safety will be further compromised. Thanks to the federal for stepping up, but education is the responsibility of the province and this government isn't pulling its weight. So why is the minister abandoning our education workers and family by cutting education funding for the next school year? Mr. Speaker, I'm very proud that today with the federal government minister Scott and I announced a over 500 million net new investment, one-time investment to improve our schools, the facilities that our kids depend on to learn. We appreciate, Speaker, that these investments today will help us improve the safety of these facilities as we work to get students back $525 million for 3200 net new projects. Now this is a one-time expenditure, it will help. That's in addition to the half a billion dollars we invest every single year to build new schools. In addition to the 1.3 billion dollars we invest every single year to maintain excellence within our school spaces. And Mr. Speaker, under our plan, because of our investments, because we followed the science, 7,000 more staff have been hired, we have one of the lowest case rates amongst youth under 20 in the nation. That is because we have invested, it's because I've listened to the medical officer of health and we will work every single day to improve the safety of schools and get kids back to class. And the supplementary question. Thank you. And again to the minister of education, just this week the government announced that schools would once again close for an indeterminate amount of time. We have been hearing from education workers, students and parents for months on end that measures in school have not been enough that they feel unsafe in school and that they are in dire need of more support. A $8 billion investment in our education system would be a game changer, but the government thinks that Iowa 413 is more important. They are willing to spend $8 billion on an unwanted project that will destroy our environment, taking funding from our education system. So what does the minister have to say to the countless education workers and families that will feel the devastating impacts of the government budget cut while is government built an unwanted highway? Mr. Education. Mr. Speaker, we are investing in public education as we have done each and every year under our government more funding than when the former liberal government was in power at the peak of spending in the education portfolio. $700 million more announced in the most recent budget. But Mr. Speaker, it's not just about that. It's what we did during the pandemic, a $1.6 billion plan, the most comprehensive protocol that followed the medical advice. We hired 7,000 more teachers, 95% or rather 7,000 more staff, and 95% of our air ventilation systems within our schools have been improved. A $224 million investment to build up our online learning and remote learning capacity, that infrastructure, to make sure that when we need it, like we do today, based exclusively on the rising transmission in the community that can create risk for our schools. It's now that these investments are best supporting children in the continuity of learning. We are going to continue to be there for students, particularly as we look to September, with investments in the grant for student needs, investments in school boards, and safety to ensure kids could have a good quality education and that they remain safe in 2021 and beyond. Thank you very much. The next question is from the Member for Kerry-Son, Miss Coco. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. About a month ago, the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines made an exciting announcement about the future of the province's world-leading mineral exploration and development sector. Ontario's critical mineral strategy is the first of its kind in this province, and it will help generate investment in the mining sector, increase the province's competitiveness in the global market, and create jobs and opportunities for northern and indigenous communities. Our government recognizes that the mineral sector needs to be a key driver of Ontario's economic recovery, given that it contributes over $13.1 billion annually. Mr. Speaker, the pandemic has affected the entire mineral sector, but it is particularly challenging for junior exploration companies. What is the government doing through Budget 2021, if passed, to support our mineral sector to ensure they can lead the way for Ontario's economic recovery? I'd prefer Peterborough Quartha, a parliamentary assistant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know that the mineral exploration and mining sector is an important driver of economic growth in this province. Unfortunately, the impact of COVID-19 has exasperated an existing challenge for junior companies, the challenge of raising capital for exploration. Our government appreciates the mining sector, and we know that the junior companies rely on raising capital to finance their exploration. The success of these exploration companies is essential for a thriving sector. They're responsible for 50% of the discoveries that led to Ontario's new mines. That's why, in the 2021 Budget, we've outlined our plans to create the new Ontario Junior Exploration Program, or JEP. To support junior exploration companies, Ontario plans to invest $5 million over the next two years in JEP. We know that junior miners are the rock at the base of our mineral sector, and we know that critical minerals are critical for our economic recovery. Thank you for that answer. I know just how important the mineral sector is and how many jobs this industry can create. Many of the jobs within the mining sector are skilled trades, skilled labourers, dump truck operators, crane operators, site foremen and supervisors, and the list goes on. These are jobs our government is looking to create and support, particularly as many workers in Ontario looked up skill and changed their career path post COVID-19. We know how important it is for junior explorers to raise capital in order to make exciting new discoveries. The success of junior companies leads to millions of dollars in further investment, creates these skilled jobs and helps build strong communities in the north. Would member please tell us more about the Ontario Junior Exploration Program and how to help junior companies if the budget is passed? Parliamentary Assistant. Thank you Speaker and thank you again for the question. Through the program, junior companies can apply for funding to cover eligible costs up to $200,000. This program will attract investment as businesses leverage their funding to raise capital in the private markets. And just listen to what Gary Clark, the Executive Director of the Ontario Prospectors Association had to say. Quote, on behalf of the OPA, I'd like to thank the government for reigniting the Ontario Junior Exploration Program to support our members. This program is critical to help small exploration projects in Ontario raise money so they can find the minds of the future. It's great to see this government continue its strong record for supporting the mineral exploration and mining sector. We're letting the people of Ontario know that Ontario is open for business, open for jobs, and that's exactly what this program does. The Ontario Junior Exploration Program will bring investment to Ontario's North and I'm so excited to see the results of that. Thank you Speaker. Thank you. The next question, Member for London North Centre. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, the new COVID variants of concern are spreading like wildfire in London. Between March 28th and April 3rd, nearly 30% of COVID tests from the N6A postal code came back as positive, making it the highest in the province. And yet the Premier is dragging his feet, sitting on his wallet, and has not declared N6A a hotspot. On April 12th, the members from London and France, London West and I wrote to the Premier asking him to declare N6A a hotspot and to stop the spread by introducing mobile vaccination units and more funding for contact tracing and testing. We've heard no response from the Premier despite the urgency of this issue. Will the Premier declare N6A a hotspot and commit to providing whatever resources are necessary to get these new variants under control? Thank you very much, Speaker. I thank the member for the question. What we have done is identified 114 hotspots in different parts of the province based on the criteria that I've outlined earlier, historic data, areas of risk, and so on. As we will be receiving more supplies of the vaccine, we will be able to designate more hotspots, but we need to make sure, given the concerns that we've had with respect to the vaccines coming in on time, to make sure that we have sufficient quantities of the vaccines to be able to provide the vaccines in those areas. But we are doing whatever we can in order to make sure that we can maintain space in our hospitals, that we can do the testing that we need to do, including some of the rapid testing, to try and reduce the transmission of the variants of concern, which are, you're absolutely right, they're moving very quickly, they're more difficult to deal with, they're more hostile, they result in more hospitalizations, more ICU beds being occupied, and unfortunately more deaths. So we are taking every step that we can to make sure that we have the capacity, both in terms of hospitals, as well as vaccine supply to deal with it. Supplementary. Back to the Premier. Time is of the essence. Dithering and delaying will cost people their lives. Go to the science advisory table and designate London's N6A as a hot spot. London Health Sciences Centre has been caring for patients from the GTA. In addition to Londoners with COVID, our ICU has the highest number of people in critical care on record, and now our hospitals have had to cancel surgical procedures. Our health unit is now counting on Londoners to do their own contact tracing because they're overwhelmed trying to track down cases with the new variants of concern. We need provincial support now. London is doing its part to help the province, and now the province needs to help London. Will the Premier stop ignoring London, declare it a hot spot, and provide our community with the resources it needs today? No part of Ontario is being ignored, including London. We have already provided extra contact tracers to many parts of the province to allow them to follow up on the cases, but you're absolutely right. The variants of concern are moving very quickly, and we need to be very nimble and move quickly to respond to them, which is what we are doing, which is why we declared the state of emergency and implemented the state at home order, which is why we are redeploying staff from other parts of the province to work in the hotspot areas, which is why we're also transferring patients from one part of the province to other hospitals, trying to keep them as close as possible to their home zone, recognizing that it's hard for them to be away for their families, and making sure that we had to ramp down the hospitalizations and surgical procedures and diagnostic procedures in order to provide space in our hospitals for COVID patients, still caring for those other patients as well. So we are moving quickly. We are responding to the need. We are responding to the increase in the variants, and we'll do whatever we can to protect the health and safety of all Ontarians. The next question, the member for Guelph. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Small businesses across the province are going out of business. I participated in a town hall this morning with small businesses who are barely hanging on. They've closed their doors to keep us safe, but they need the government to have their back. Two rounds of funding for the Ontario business support grant program is not enough now that we're in a third wave lockdown. So, Speaker, will the Premier commit today to providing a third round of funding in the Ontario small business support grant so businesses who are barely hanging on can survive the third wave of the pandemic? Member for Flamborough, Glenbrook, and Parliamentary Assistant. Good morning. Speaker, we understand, our government understands that businesses have faced mounting pressure throughout this pandemic, and that is why, since day one, we have worked with small businesses to develop and contribute to programs that will help them get through these very difficult times. The Ontario, as the member noted, the Ontario small business support grant provides businesses who were forced to close or who have significantly reduced their services under the province-wide shutdown, a grant of up to $20,000 in funding. To date, we have made $1.4 billion in payments, with more than 100,000 businesses being approved for the grants. The extraordinary response to the program demonstrates just how important this assistance is to small businesses. Our government announced that this grant will be doubled for all eligible businesses, meaning those who received a payment will automatically receive a second one. Ontarians, Mr. Speaker, can rest assured that our government has and will continue to be there to support small business. Thank you. Supplementary question. Speaker, with all due respect, I don't think the Premier understands how desperate small businesses are. The government's mixed messaging and flip-flopping are creating confusion and chaos for small business owners. Whether it's, and for people, whether it's students and educators confused because we say schools are open one day and closed on the next day, or we say we're going to have vaccine clinics in certain neighborhoods, but then those vaccine clinics don't show up, small businesses are confused when they're told one day they can open and then a few days later they're going to have to close. The Restaurant Association estimates that cost small businesses over a hundred million dollars, just that one flip-flop alone from the Premier. So Speaker, if the government truly understands how tough it is for small businesses right now, they would commit to a third round of funding for the Ontario Small Business Support Grant today. Here's your chance to do the right thing. Member for Flamborough Glamour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And to be very clear, our government will always, always stand and have the backs of small businesses across Ontario. Since last year, we have been partnering with the federal government to provide almost a billion dollars in urgent relief through the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance. As we mentioned, we are providing two rounds of payments up to $20,000 each in grants for small businesses that are eligible. And Mr. Speaker, businesses can use that money how they see fit. We've also been helping support our restaurant industry. Speaker, our government permanently allowed licensed restaurants and bars to include alcohol with food as part of takeout or delivery orders. And this enables restaurants and bars to maintain the new revenue streams the government opened to them in the early days of the pandemic. It has been a lifeline of support to boost businesses at critical times. And it's helping them refine their business model beyond the pandemic, allowing them to carve out new product offerings to increase their competitive edge. Mr. Speaker, if they want to find more information on the government supports available, they can do so at our government website. The next question. Member for St. Catherine. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions to the Premier. I could have literally chosen from dozens of examples of confusing eligibility or application errors that go nowhere with the Ontario Small Business Support Grant program. Businesses across Ontario are given form responses like, we will get back to you soon. Or just outright wrong information. Businesses in St. Catherine's like Hewitt, Cabab and Schwarma have been calling since January for an update. They were told to email in their concerns then have heard nothing for weeks. Finally, they received a response that said they were declined because their business is not on the list of eligible businesses, except they are eligible as a restaurant. So they emailed back to clarify. They then again heard nothing crickets. Premier, will you fix this chaos experience by too many businesses? Take some time to respond to your emails and allow us to help small businesses within our communities so that they have the help desperately needed. We have listened to small businesses. I have personally worked with small businesses certainly across my writing, but also across Hamilton Mountain Center. I've been told direct all of their queries to my office and I would gladly help any small business in the city of Hamilton or across the province. I'm looking at the member opposite we're dealing with with small businesses in Northern Ontario who have been very interested in our support program, our small business support program. We have already given businesses $1.4 billion in payments that's helping over 100,000 small businesses across Ontario and I will continue as will our government and our premier continue to work with all small businesses, helping them access this funding, helping them access the Main Street relief grant program and our PPE support program. Mr. Speaker, I will work with businesses in my writing and businesses in your writing if they're finding it difficult to access it, but the funding is... Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back to the premier. That was a parochial answer. You promised businesses money. Now can you actually follow through pointing to how many signed up for the grant doesn't help the many businesses that are struggling with the loss of income today and waiting for answers. Details matter. Could you please just answer your emails? Another local business in St. Catherine, Superplac, incorrectly entered in one number on their form. I said one number. They knew their mistake right away and they have been trying to get it fixed through the ministry. They have received nothing but silence, Mr. Speaker. If the government cannot fix something as simple as an input error since January, of course, then Ontario is in big, big trouble. Premier, when will the minister be able to fix simple input errors and answer questions about timelines so that local businesses with local customers like Superplac can get through another lockdown in the third wave? Help them. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Flamboyle-Blander. Thank you, Speaker. All eligible applicants who applied by the deadline will receive a grant after their application has been reviewed and has been approved. Our government understands that small businesses do need the support, which is why the Ontario Small Business Support grant has made over $1.4 billion in payments, and that's just so far. While the process saw a high volume of applicants, we understand the extreme sense of urgency many small businesses are feeling during this very difficult time. We're working to further accelerate the processing of applications to ensure that businesses get the support that they need as quickly as possible and have taken many steps to speed up the process. We have tripled the number of public servants that review applications and have increased the resources required to process them in a timely and responsible way. As part of our 2021 budget, our government is providing an additional round of support to help eligible employers impacted by necessary public health restrictions. They will receive automatically a second payment in an amount. Thank you. The next question, the member for York Centre. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Education. Time after time, the Minister insisted that schools are safe. That's right, but not because of some ministry memo, but because kids are not generally harmed by COVID. Incredible studies reveal that kids transmit COVID far less than adults, but the real harm to Ontario's children results from the closure of schools. It's not COVID. It's lockdown that's putting our children at risk. Children's Hospital in Hamilton said that the number of youth hospitalized after attempted suicide has tripled. Costs to kids' health phone in 2020 have more than doubled. Many kids are self-harming. They're anxious. Sick kids is sighting a pandemic of eating disorders. Ontario's kids are in crisis. They're not in danger of COVID. They're in danger of this government, and the Minister knows he's doing harm. So what happened, Minister? Was it the polling? Was it the public pressure? Or was it pressure from the teachers' unions that made you capitulate? Why are you harming Ontario's kids? Minister of Education. Quite obviously it was the spike in community transmission in this province, which is why we took action. We have always had to decisively act, sometimes pivoting quickly in a pandemic and a crisis. As we did last March, we closed schools the first of the province to do so. We did so without, with the full knowledge that that action will help save lives. The fact is, Speaker, the Chief Medical Officer of Health has confirmed that schools have been safe. Every medical officer of health in the province has said the same, but in the words of sick kids, as the member opposite cited, the CEO of sick kids, Dr. Ronnie Kod, said on Monday, and I quote, I don't think we can open schools right now. We have to just now do our part and not fail our children, and do everything we can to drive down community transmission so that schools can be the first doors to open. We absolutely agree. I'm working with the Minister of Health, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, to ensure schools can reopen, but it must be safe, and we're going to work hard to do that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. I've complete question period for this morning. Fender for Sudbury has informed me that he has a point of order. He wishes to raise. Thank you, Speaker. I rise on a point of order to correct my record. Yesterday during the morning's question period, and again during the afternoon's notice of members of satisfaction, I misspoke about the Laurentian Midwifery. It called the profession de sage femme. I recently connected with Lisa Morgan, the director of school Midwifery. I learned I'd made an error. Well, as factual, the government is allowing this important program to close. I misspoke when I said it was the only bilingual Midwifery program in Ontario. Laurentian's program is in fact the only bilingual Midwifery program in Canada, and the only Francophone program outside of Quebec. Thank you, Speaker. We now have a deferred vote on the motion for second reading of Bill 274, an act respecting the disclosure of information related to intimate partner violence. The bells will now ring for 30 minutes, during which time members may cast their votes. I'll ask the clerks to please prepare the lines.